Getty photographer arrested in Ferguson, Mo., unrest

Aug. 19, 2014
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Getty Images staff photographer Scott Olson is placed into a paddy wagon after being arrested by police as he covers the demonstrations following the Aug. 9 shooting death of Michael Brown, on August 18, 2014 in Ferguson, Mo. / Joe Raedle, Getty Images

by Melanie Eversley, USA TODAY

by Melanie Eversley, USA TODAY

Getty Images photographer Scott Olson now joins the lists of journalists arrested in the unrest in Ferguson, Mo., following the Aug. 9 shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson.

Olson was arrested Monday afternoon and later released, according to a statement from Getty Images.

A photograph captured by Olson's colleague, Joe Raedle, shows Olson being directed toward the back of a police van with his hands behind his back in zip cuffs. Olson, in baseball cap with equipment draped over a shoulder, is smiling.

Rob Crilly, a journalist for The Telegraph who was arrested on Sunday, told The Poynter Institute that police arrested Olson for "not getting out of the way fast enough."

A video released on the Instagram social media image network and played on MSNBC showed Olson's arrest, during which he can be heard saying, "I'm being arrested because they said the media is required to be in a certain area."

"I want to be able to do my job as a member of the media and not be arrested for just doing my job," Olson told Pancho Bernasconi, vice president of news at Getty Images.

Getty Images condemns Scott's arrest and is committed to ensuring that he and our other photographer colleagues are able to report this important story," Bernasconi said in statement.

Bernasconi had earlier released a statement via Twitter, prior to Olson's arrest:

"Getty Images staff photographer Scott Olson was arrested this afternoon in Ferguson, Missouri, while on assignment documenting the events there," the statement read. "We at Getty Images stand firmly behind our colleague Scott Olson and the right to report from Ferguson. Getty Images is working to support his release as soon as possible. We strongly object to his arrest and are committed to ensuring he is able to resume his important work of capturing some of the most iconic images of this news story."

At least five journalists have been arrested in the wake of nightly demonstrations following the death of Brown.